THREE bronze sculptures made in a north Essex foundry will feature in the opening of a museum in Qatar.

Zahra Modern Art Foundry, formerly the Morris Singer Art Foundry, has finished its first major commission for the Middle East.

The foundry, based at Springwood Industrial Estate, in Braintree, is opening an office in Dubai. It has created three bronze sculptures for the opening of Mathaf: The Arab Museum of Modern Art, in Doha.

Penetration, Sabra and Chatila, and Exit Attempt – reflections on human rights and freedom of expression – have been designed by Kuwaiti artist Sami Mohammed Al-Saleh.

The largest sculpture, Penetration, is more than three metres tall, weighing 1.6 tonnes.

Mr Al-Saleh said: “Mathaf will play a pivotal role in the ever-expanding discourse on modern Arab art and the culture of the region more widely. To be included in the inaugural exhibition is an honour.”

The foundry’s new office in Dubai reflects the international strategy it has adopted since its relaunch earlier this year.

Artist Nasser Azam took over the former Morris Singer Art Foundry in June, after it went into administration.

Mr Azam said: “The size and importance of the Middle Eastern art market continues to grow and presents exciting opportunities for those involved in the creation of world class art.”

Under the Morris Singer name, the foundry had worked with major British sculptors for 170 years. It cast Mr Azam’s own 20ft bronze sculpture, the Dance, which was unveiled on the South Bank of the Thames in London in 2008.

The foundry produced some of London’s most famous monuments, including the bronze lions in Trafalgar Square, and the Boudicca outside the Houses of Parliament.